Potato-planter.



No. 650,386. I Patented May 29, won.

s. snsnou. POTATO PLANTER.

(Application filed. Feb. 6, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

NORRIS irus 00. Puofmrmo" WABINGTBN, 0. c4

amzzeZ 6797202 11 \7291'e1= men STATE PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL cannon, or FIFIELD, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF To EVARISTE F. LAUZON, OF HURLEY, WISCONSIN.

POTATO-PLANTER.

srncrrrca'rron forming part of Letters Patent No. 650,386, dated May 29, 1966. Application filed February 6,1900- Serial No. 4,201- (N0 model.)

To (LZZ whom it may concern.-

' Be it known that I, SAMUEL GRENON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fifield, in the county of Price and State of Wiscon= sin, have invented a new and useful Potato Planter, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improved potato-planter designed for planting and covering potatoes in a previously-opened furrow while simultaneously opening a second furrow in which potatoes are to be planted by the next successive passage of the machine; and my invention consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

One object of my invention is to provide, in combination with a seedbox, an endless seedcarrier having one lead in the seedbox and provided with seed-cups each adapted to receive a single piece of a potato and springactuated cut-01f plates to close the bottom opening in the seedbox through which the seed-carrier travels, the said cut-off plates being adapted to be displaced successively by the seed-cups as the latter enter the lower side of the seedbox.

Afurther object of my invention is to provide, in combination With a traction-wheel designed to operate in a furrow, a covering device in rear of the traction-wheel and means for adjusting the covering device.

v Afurther object of myinvention is to provide a novel form of laterally-adjustable furrow-opening plow and devices to secure the same at any required adjustment.

Other objects of my invention will appear 1 hereinafter.

to the lower portion of the endless seed-carrier. Fig. '6 is a detail transverse sectional View taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 3.

The platform-frame 1 is mounted oh an axle 2, which is provided with supporting- Wheels 3 at, the latter being a traction-wheel and provided with projecting treads 5 on its rim. Secured on'the inner side of the wheel 4 is a gear-wheel 6, which revolves therewith.

A 'counter shaft 7 is supported in bearings 8 at the upper sides of brackets 9, which are carried on the platform-frame at a point over the axle, and on the said counter-shaft is fixed a gear 10, which engages the Wheel 6. A seedbox 11, in which the cut potatoes are carried, is supported on the platform-frame, near one side thereof and in advance of the axle. An opening 12 in the platform-frame coincides with the bottom of the seedbox. This opening is normally closed by a pair of pivoted cut-off plates 13, which are pivoted at their front sides, as at 14, under the platform-frame and are held in contact with the bottom of the platform-frame and permitted to move later ally thereonby horizontally-disposed guides 15, which are bolted to the under side of the platform 10, as shown. Springs 16 engage the said cut-off plates and keep the same normally in the positions illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, so as to close the-opening in the lower side of the seedbox and to prevent the potatoes from dropping from the seedbox. Each of the cut-off plates is provided with an obliquely-disposed cam-wing 17, the said camwings of. the said seed-plates being inclined in opposite directions and converging upwardly, as shown in detail in Fig. 6.

A shaft 18 is mounted in bearings 19, bolted to the under side of the platform-frame, and the said shaft carries a sprocket-Wheel 20, which is disposed centrally with relation to the path of cut-01f plates, and the front side of said sprocket-wheel enters a recess 21, which is formed in the proximate inner rear corners of the cut-off plates. A sprocket wheel 22 is loose on the shaft 7 and is 0011- nected to the sprocket-wheel 20 on shaft 18 by an endless chain 23, which constitutes the carrier for the seed-potatoes. A series of seed-cups 24 are secured to the outer side of the endless chain at suitable regularly-spaced intervals thereon, and each of the said seedcups is of a size adapted to receive a single piece of potato. It will be observed by reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings that the front side or lead of the endless seed-carrier is disposed in the seedbox at the rear side thereof and extends through the opening 12 in the bottom of the seed box, that the seed-cups when motion is imparted to the endless chain successively engage the cam-wings 17 of the cut-0E plates 13, and that as each seed-cup moves upwardly between the said inclined cam-wings 17 it displaces the rear ends of the cut-off plates, causing them to move outward in opposite directions and to permit the seedcupto pass between them andto enter the seedbox throughvthe opening 12 therein. It will be understood that as each seed-cup is thus presented to the said opening 12 one or more pieces of potato (according to the capacity of the cup) will become contained in the cup, and therefore as the latter continues to ascend seed or a piece or pieces of potato therein will be carried upwardly thereby out of the seedbox and discharged from the seedcup as the latter passes rearward and downward over the sprocket-wheel 22. .The springs 16, which operate on'the cut-off plates, close the latter together as soon as the seed-cups pass between them, so as to cut off or close the opening 12 and prevent seed-potatoes from dropping from the seedbox. The shaft 7 being connected to the traction-wheel by the gears 6 10, as hereinbefore described, it will be understood that the endless seed-carrier is operated when the machine advances, and the wheel 22 is locked to the shaft 7 by a clutch 25. An endwise-movable shaft or rod 26 is carried in guides 27 on the upper sides of the seedbox, and said rod is provided with a rearward-extending arm 28, which engages a groove 29 in the clutch. The inner end of the rod 26 is provided with a suitable handle, as at 30, which is disposed conveniently near and in advance of the seat 31 for the driver, the said seat being mounted on the platformframe, as shown. The function of the rod 26 is to shift a clutch into and out of contact with the wheel 22.

The coverer 32, which operates in rear of the traction-wheel 4, comprises a bent plate having the forwardly-diverging arms 33. Said coverer is connected to arms 34, as at 35, the said arms being disposed on opposite sides of the traction-wheel and pivoted at their upper ends on the spindle of the axle on which said traction-wheel is mounted, as at 36. An adjusting-lever 37 is fulcrumed on a bearing-plate 38 on the rear corner of the platform-frame near the traction-wheel, and the front end of the said adjusting-lever is adapted to be secured by abolt or pin 39 to a vertical standard 40, which projects from the upper side of the platform-frame and is provided with a series of adjusting-openings for the reception of said pin or bolt. A rigid link 41 connects the inner arm 34 with the rear end of the adj usting-lever 37, said link having its extremities pivotally connected to said arm and said adj usting-lever, as shown. It will be understood that by this construction and'combination of devices the coverer may be adjusted and caused to operate at any desired depth in the furrow in which the traction-wheel runs and may be supported when raised from the ground while the machine is being driven to or from the field.

A seed-spout 42 is disposed obliquely and in an inclined position on the rear side of the frame and is supported by being bolted to an angled bracket 43, as shown in Fig. 3. The upper end of the seed-spout is enlarged considerably and so disposed with relation to the sprocket-wheel 22 and the upper portion of the endless seed-carrier that the seed-potatoes discharged from the seed-cups successively will fall into the said seed-spout; The lower end of the seed-spout is disposed in ad vance of and at a slight distance above the coverer, so that the seed-potatoes will fall from the said spout into the furrow in advance of the coverer, and hence will become cov ered up by the earth which is swept into the furrow as the coverer advances.

A furrow-opening plow 43 is disposed on the side of the machine opposite the tractionwheel, the standard 44 thereof having its upper portion forked or bifurcated to form the arms 45. In eyes or openings 46 at the upper ends of the said arms is an elongated pivot-bolt 47, which is disposed on'the rear side of the axle and is supported by a series, as three, of supporting guides or staples 48. Said guides or staples being spaced at considerable distances apart, it follows that the plow-standard is adapted to be moved laterally on the pivotal rod and adjusted to any desired distance from the traction-wheel 4 to determine the width between the rows. I11- terchangeable adjusting-collars 49 are provided to be placed on the pivot-bolt 47 between the guides or staples 48 and prevent lateral play of the plow-standard when adjusted to the required position, as shown in Fig. 4. The plow-standard being pivotally connected to the axle is adapted to be adj usted so as to cause the furrow-opening plow to operate at any required angle and to raise the latter from the ground when not at work,

this adjustment of the plow being accomplished by the instrnmentality of a lever 50, pivoted on a supporting-bracket 51 on the platform -frame, the said lever being connected to the plow-standard by a link 52 and being secured at any adjustment by the usual spring-actuated detent 53 and segmentplate 54.

As here shown my improved potato-planter is provided with a draft-tongue 55 for the attachment of a pair of horses; but shafts may be substituted for the draft-tongue on machines which are adapted to be drawn and operated by one horse.

'It will be understood that in the operation has been previously opened. This arrangement of the machine is effective in securing equal spaces between the rows and-parallelism thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a potato-planter, the combination of a seedbox, an endless seed-carrier having one lead disposed therein and extending through the bottom opening in said seedbox, said carrier including seed-cups, a pair of pivoted laterally movable spring actuated cutoff plates under the bottom of the seedbox and with their free ends on opposite sides of said seed-carrier, said cut-01f plates having the downward-diverging cam-wings with which the seed-cups engage to displace said cut-off plates, substantially as described.

2. A potato-plantercomprising the wheeled frame having the traction-wheel on one side, the coverer in rear of said traction-wheel, the seedbox having a bottom opening, springactuated laterally-movable cut-off plates on the bottom of said seedbox to close said opening, an endless seed-carrier having one lead disposed in the rear side of the seedboX and extending through the bottom opening thereof, said carrier including seed-cups adapted to engage and displace the cut-off plates, successively, connections between said carrier and the traction-wheel, whereby the carrier is operated, and the seed-spout secured to the frame disposed obliquely and having its upper end below said seed-carrier and its lower end disposed in advance of the coverer, and

the furrow-opening plow on the side of the wheeled frame opposite the traction-wheel, substantially as described.

3. In a potato-planter, the combination of a frame having traction and supporting wheels, a master-gear fast with the traction-wheel, a seedbox on the frame and having the discharge-opening in its lower side, a countershaft journaled in supports on the frame in rear of the seedbox, a gear on said countershaft engaging the master-wheel, a sprocketwheel loose on the said counter-shaft, a clutch to lock said Wheel thereto, a sprocket-wheel mounted below the seedbox, an endless chain connecting said sprocket-wheels and having seed-cups, one lead of said endless chain passing through the discharge-opening of the seedbox and disposed in the rear side of said seedboX, laterally-movable spring-pressed cut-01f plates on the bottom of the seedbox and having the cams with which the seed-cups successively engage, substantially as described.

4. In a potato-planter,the combination with the seedbox and the endless seed-carrier having one lead extended through the dischargeopening thereof and provided with seed-cups, of the pair of-cut-ofi plates pivoted under the bottom of said seedbox, said seed-plates being bent to form the downward-diverging cam-wings disposed on opposite sides of the seed-carrier, the guides secured under the seedbox and bearing under said cut-off plates, for the purpose set forth, and the springs to actuate said cut-off plates, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed mysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL GRENON.

WVitnesses:

ROBT. DIRIMPLE, HERMAN LESSARD. 

